The Punishment
by HungerGamesEnthusiast
Summary: It has been 8 months since the 13 districts of Panem rebelled against the Capitol. Their punishment? The Hunger Games. A fight to the death on live TV. 15 year old Azora Burnfield has been chosen. This is the first annual Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor. Rated T for later violence. Summary is bad but please read!
1. The Announcement

**Ok, this is my first EVER fanfic so it's probably going to suck. I know there are a lot of these but I just really wanted to write my own, so enjoy :)It's about the first ever Hunger Games.**

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"Tomorrow at 6:00pm, we are going to make a big announcement. A reminder to each district that they should never doubt the Capitols' power ever again. This is a mandatory viewing. Thank you and goodnight." I switch off the T.V, shutting out the Capitol reporters' voice. A reminder. What could it possibly be? I sigh as a hundred different things come to mind. Just eight months ago, the 13 districts of Panem all rebelled against the Capitol, the huge city that lies within the centre of it. So, the Capitol sent bombing planes to every district. Luckily, my family and I had a large underground cellar that was full of supplies. The three of us, my mother, father and I hid in it until eventually the planes left. It took a while for things to get back to normal. Well, I guess my life won't ever be normal again but at least I'm not underground anymore. The bombing planes completely destroyed District 13. It's all over the news. I suppose I should be thankful that I live in District 4, not there. Their calling it the Dark Days and this big announcement they're going to make tomorrow is meant to remind us that it must never be repeated. Well after what happened to District 13, I don't think that's going to be happening any time soon. What if they're going to destroy another district as the reminder? Suddenly, I'm overcome with fear as I think of the possibility. The sound of my mothers' voice brings me back to reality.

"Azora, could you please run to the store and see if you can get me some more herbs please?" She asks. Since the bombings, food has been very scarce so all we ever really eat now is some kind of herbal soup. It doesn't taste bad but it certainly doesn't fill me up. She hands me some money and I race out the door. The small herbs and spices store is only one block away from my house. I enter and purchase some good ones that my mother loves. As I'm leaving, I run into my best friend Skye. "Did you hear", I ask her.

"About the announcement?". I nod. "Yeah", she says. "What do you think it will be?"

"Could be anything", I say darkly.

That night, I can hardly sleep. I keep remembering the awful times I lay curled up on my bed in the cellar during that endless bombing. I won't be able to bear it if it happens again. Eventually after hours of thinking about the endless possibilities of what the announcement could be, I fall asleep. The next day, Skye and I have to work. We work 5 days a week, having the weekends off. The only thing we have to do is just set up a few fishing nets around the shore and make special hooks for the more skilled fishers to use. As I'm practising making a fishing hook with a sharp seashell, Skye asks me, "Do you and your mum want to come over to my house tonight to see the announcement? We have a bigger TV".

"Sure", I say. "I think mum was going to ask anyway". Our mothers were best friends in school so that's how Skye and I met each other. We've been best friends for as long as I can remember. After an hour of making fish hooks, we go around to collect the nets and pack the fish we've caught to put in the trucks that will be sent to the Capitol and other districts. That's what we do in District 4. We're in charge of all the seafood that everyone in the country eats. Everyone has to start work at the age of 10. Skye and I are both 15 so we know what we're doing and we're pretty good at it. Once we finish this, we head to Skye's' house. My mother is already there so I guess Skye's' mother told her. Since this is a mandatory viewing, the T.V automatically turns on.

A reporter with wild, purple hair is saying that it's time for the big announcement. President Alcite (the president of Panem) stands on one of the balconies of his huge mansion that lies in the centre of the Capitol. He actually looks quite scary with his black, beady eyes and pointy beard. He's at least 70 or 80, I think. "People of Panem. Just eight months ago, the 13 districts rebelled against the Capitol. As a result of this, now only 12 remain. We have decided on a suitable punishment that will ensure that this _never_ happens again", he says. "I shall now read the punishment that the 12 districts shall have to suffer. To stop another rebellion…" "Here it comes", I mutter. "Every year from now on, each district shall offer up two children from the ages 12 to 18, one male and one female, to fight to the death in an arena on live T.V and there will only be one winner", he reads from a card. The words take a while to sink in and when they do, everything goes dark.

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**I'm sorry it's so short but I promise that the next chapter will be longer. Was it ok? Reviews will be greatly appreciated. I hope to have the next chapter up in a few days' time so hopefully you won't have to wait too long.**


	2. The Reaping

**Here is the second chapter of my fanfic. I'm actually pretty happy that I got it up so fast. I'm on holidays so I'll probably update very regularly :) Enjoy!**

**Disclamer: I do NOT own the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does.**

"Azora! Azora, wake up! "I hear someone shouting. I slowly come too and sit up.

"Was that real?" I ask Skye who seems to be the one who was shouting at me. Huh, she didn't faint but then and again she's always been stronger than me when it comes to stuff like this.

"Yes, it was real. And you missed the last part!" she said exasperated.

"What did they say?"

"They said that the two people that will be chosen from each district will be decided via some kind of lottery-type thing. It will be called a reaping and it will be in one week!" she exclaims.

"One week?" I look at my mother who is now very pale.

"Come on Azora", she says quietly. "We should probably be getting home now." She helps me get to my feet and we leave Skye's house and walk down the road to ours. When we arrive, I see that my father is home.

"Did you see the announcement, dad?" I ask. He nods grimly and doesn't say anything else. He gets up and goes into his room and shuts the door. My father is a peacekeeper. Peacekeepers are police who dress up in white helmets and suits and walk around the districts with machine guns. As the name suggests, they're meant to keep peace in the districts but look at how that turned out. My father is one of the nicer peacekeepers. He never whips anyone like the others do or anything like that. He usually has to work 16 hours per day but since the announcement was compulsory to watch, he got off early. My mother and I eat our herbal soup that night in silence.

The next day, a pamphlet arrives in the mail, entitled "A Guide to the Reaping". I read it out loud to my mother. "The reaping shall take place next week on Saturday in the town square. Anyone who does not attend shall be arrested. Since the reaping is meant to be a ceremony, everyone is required to wear something nice. If you are 12, you must enter your name in once. If you are 13, you must enter your name twice etc". I pale a bit. This means that since I'm 15, I will have to enter my name in 4 times. I keep on reading. "However, children may be able to enter their names in more times in exchange for tesserae which are a small supply of grain and oil." I look at my mother and she shakes her head. "I don't want you to risk it Azora. Don't worry. Your father gets paid well so we don't need it".

"Ok", I say. I direct my attention to the pamphlet again. "The names will be drawn from two large glass balls. One for the girls and one for the boys. They shall take their places on the stage. If someone's name is called out, another child will be allowed to volunteer to take their place but only if they are of the same gender and if they are within the age limit. The tributes will then enter the Justice Building and be allowed an hour for goodbyes". The Justice building is a very grand building in the town square. It's not used for any particular purpose, just the occasional ceremony or party. I read the last sentence. "Then after the tributes have said their goodbyes, they will board a train that will leave directly for the Capitol." I close it and look at my mother. "Well, I'd better go to work. Bye mum!" I leave the house and meet up with Skye at her house. We walk to the beach and once we get there, I ask her "Are you scared?"

"What?" she asks.

"Are you scared?" I repeat. "That your name will be picked?"

"Oh", she says. She looks out at the ocean. "I suppose I am, a bit." She confesses. "I mean, when they said they were gonna do something to keep the districts in line, I wasn't expecting it to be this. Do you know that they've decided to call it the Hunger Games?"

"No. I didn't. Are you gonna take any tesserae?" I ask her. Skye has an older brother who's 20, too old to be reaped.

"My parents don't want me to but my father isn't a peacekeeper so my family's more likely to starve." She says sadly. I don't say anything. I know it's not my fault but I can't help feeling guilty that my best friend is going to have more names in the reaping balls than me. We get on with our work today like there's no possibility that one of us could be being sent to almost certain death in a week's time. That night, as I once again lie in bed unable to sleep, I decide that I should be training instead of sitting around doing nothing except fishing. I mean, I've heard that there will be a special time for all the tributes to train, but I would still like to know at least the basics. I suggest my plan to Skye the next day and she agrees. As soon as my father gets home I ask him if he will help us since he has access to many weapons like knives, tridents and even swords. There are no bows and arrows in District 4 though so I'll have to learn in the training time we get if I'm picked.

He actually says yes and for the rest of the week Skye and I train with all those weapons. When it's the night before the reaping, I actually get some sleep knowing that if I'm picked, I'll be ready. The next morning passes pretty quickly. I rummage through my wardrobe and find a pretty purple dress and some matching shoes. I tie my long, straight, brown hair into a neat ponytail and put a white ribbon in it. The three of us eat breakfast in silence, knowing that it could very well be the last time we eat together. We leave the house and walk to the town square. Even though we're a bit early, it's packed. After giving my parents a quick hug, I walk over to the table where I have to sign in. There's a female peacekeeper sitting there. When she calls my name, I come forward and she jabs my finger tip with some kind of device and a small droplet of blood comes out. She then makes me press it to a piece of paper and it makes a bloody fingerprint.

I see Skye not too far away and push through the crowd to get to her. "Do you know where we have to go?" I ask her.

"Apparently, there's a roped area marked with 15 years old" she tells me.

"I see it" I say. We head over to it and wait with the other girls our age. After a few minutes, everyone is in their correct spots. I notice for the first time that there are two people sitting on the stage that has been assembled. One of them is Mayor Shields (the mayor of District 4) and the other is a strange woman with bright blue hair and a ridiculous amount of makeup. She must have come from the Capitol because no one I know dresses like that in District 4. I also see two large balls that have thousands of slips of paper in them. Four of them have my name on them. Seeing that everyone is ready, Mayor Shields stands up and takes his place in the centre of the stage where there is a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the very first reaping of the Hunger Games!" he says as if that's a good thing. I've always thought he was a bit strange with his oddly shaped moustache and plump, round body. "But I will not be the one drawing the names today", he continues. "Allow me to introduce Miss Tallulah Withersby!" There is a small round of applause as Mayor Shields returns to his seat and Tallulah takes his place.

"Welcome!" she says happily, "To the first ever reaping of the first annual Hunger Games! As Mr Shields stated, I shall be the person who has the honour of drawing the names today. So let's get started. Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour! Ladies first!"

She walks over to the ball entitled "Girls". _"Here it comes", _I think to myself. "_The moment of truth. Please don't be me" _I chant silently to myself. She picks out a piece of paper and reads the name out.

"Azora Burnfield!" she exclaims.

**Yeah, I know. That was pretty predictable but oh well. I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Please review!**


	3. The Tribute Parade and the Capitol

**Ok, I've finally uploaded the third chapter, sorry it took so long! Enjoy :)**

For a few moments, I just stand where I am. Then BAM. Just like that, the words register. _She means me. I'm Azora Burnfield! _I force myself to slowly start walking over to the stage. I notice that there are cameramen everywhere so this is probably going to be televised and apparently the other tributes will get to see. If this is the case, then I can't let my fear show. I put on a brave face and act as though I couldn't care less that I might be dead in a few weeks. When I get to the foot of the steps, I walk up and Tallulah beckons me to the centre of the stage. "And here she is!" she says enthusiastically. "District 4's very first female tribute! Let's have a round of applause for Azora Burnfield!" Surprisingly, there's actually a little bit of applause. I scan the crowd for my parents but I can't see them anywhere. I see Skye and I think she might be crying. "And now for the boys," Tallulah continues. She walks over to the boys' reaping ball and draws a name out. Unfolding it, she calls, "Leroy Boneski" she says. I see a boy who I suppose to be Leroy come from the worst possible place; the twelve year olds section.

Unlike me, he isn't doing a very good job of hiding his emotions. He looks like he might be about to cry and his steps are small and shaky. When he finally reaches the stage and comes up, he's close to fainting. "And here is our first male tribute!" Tallulah says happily. There's another small round of applause and then Tallulah tells us to shake hands. His small hand is sweaty when I take it in mine. I give it one single squeeze and let go. _"I might have to kill him soon",_ I think to myself. I sure hope it doesn't come down to that. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Tallulah exclaims. "Before our tributes are taken to the Capitol, are there any people that would like to take their places?" A deafening silence rings throughout the square. "No volunteers?" she asks disappointedly. You can tell that she's not very happy about being sent to such an uneventful district. "Ok then. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you District 4's first ever tributes!" There's a final round of applause before some peacekeepers march me through the doors of the Justice Building.

I am lead into an elegant room while Leroy is sent to a separate one. The doors shut behind me and I am alone. This is by far the fanciest room I have ever been in. A crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling above the velvet floor and furniture. I sink into a couch and stare in awe at the beautiful surroundings. Suddenly, the doors swing open and my parents come rushing in. My mother flings her arms around me and my father does the same. We just sit there in silence for a minute, hugging each other tightly. Once they pull away slightly, we spend the next few minutes talking about what strategies I should use in the arena. When the peacekeeper comes and tells them they must go, I tell them I love them over and over again until they're literally dragged out of the room.

I sit back down on the couch and then Skye comes in. She wraps me in such a tight hug that I actually start gasping for air.

"Sorry", she says and pulls away. "I should've volunteered for you, Azora!"she says. "What? No way!" I exclaim. "I would feel really bad if you did. No, it's a good thing you didn't."

"Yeah, probably, "she admits. "Listen, we didn't do all that training for nothing. So you'd better get your hands on a good weapon. I think you'll dominate because I bet none of the other tributes will know how to use weapons like you do."

"I know", I say. "I'll make sure to get a knife or a trident or something." The peacekeeper at the door says that it's time for Skye to go now, so we hug one last time and all too soon, the doors have closed and I'm alone again. I sit back down and I don't have any more visitors. The door opens again and two peacekeepers come to take me to the train that will transport me to the Capitol. I am led through the Justice Building and down to the station. When I board the train, I am stunned by how beautiful it is inside. Everything is so elegant and there seems to be a very large banquet set out on a long table. Leroy and Tallulah come in behind me.

"So, who's hungry? Feel free to sit down and help yourselves", she offers happily. Leroy and I sit down and I immediately start helping myself to some delicious looking stew. The lamb is so succulent and delicious. I have another bowlful, and then start taking some pudding with cream and strawberries on top. Once we are finished, a Capitol attendant shows me to my room. I shut the door and cross to the comfortable looking bed. I lie down and allow a few tears to slip out of my eyes.

There's a knock on my door and Tallulah is telling me that it's dinner time. I head to the dining carriage where Tallulah and Leroy are already seated. There's another man there though. He has slicked back blonde hair and a small beard. I take my place at the table and eye him suspiciously. "Oh", Tallulah says. "Leroy, Azora, this is Winslor Atcom. He will be your mentor!" "Mentor?" I say. "Oh dear, no one told you? During the games, in order to survive, you will need sponsors. They will supply you with food, water etc. Winslor is in charge of getting you those sponsors. He will also coach you a bit." Winslor holds his hand out to me. Hesitantly, I shake it. It's grimy and I resist the urge to wipe my hand on the tablecloth. "Nice to meet you", I say. There's more of that wonderful lamb stew again so I take that and a District 4 bread roll.

After dinner, I head back to my luxurious room to have a quick shower then get dressed in a green, silky nightgown. Looking at the bedside table, I notice a book entitled "The Rules of The Games". I lie down and start reading it. There will be no guns in the arena. The tributes will rise into the arena on metal plates and will stand there for one minute until the gong is banged. If the tributes step off their metal plates before they hear the gong, they will be blown up. I put the book away and fall asleep.

I'm woken up at 5:00am the next morning. Tallulah is shaking me awake, saying that we're at the Capitol. When she leaves I look out the window and I gasp. The Capitol is beautiful! It all looks so futuristic compared to District 4 where everything is drab and grey. I hurriedly get dressed and run into the main carriage. Leroy, Winslor and Tallulah are waiting for me. We get off the train and I am startled to see the number of strange looking Capital residents that are standing at the platform. They're all shouting and are very excited to see the tributes in person. "_They look like they love us at the moment but they probably can't wait to see us die", _I think to myself.

I am lead into a small building near the train station by Tallulah. We walk down a corridor. "What's going on?" I ask her. "Oh my!" she exclaims. "You mean, nobody's told you? We are going to be having a big tribute parade! All 24 tributes will be riding into the city square on chariots wearing costumes that will reflect each District's specialties! So you and Leroy will be in some kind of costume that's related to fishing." We stop outside a black door. Three very strange looking people come out. "This," she continues, "is your prep team." She motions to a woman with wild, blue hair. "This is Silvia." She points at another woman with a completely golden face and frizzy, purple hair. "This is Stella." She then gestures towards a man with green skin and black tattoos all over his body. "And this is Krakum. They will give you a makeover and do your hair and nails. Then you'll be introduced to your stylist who designs your clothes and is responsible for dressing you. Off you go! I'll see you after the parade!" she disappears down the corridor. Silvia, Stella and Krakum stare at me. "Well then, let's get to work", they all say in perfect unison.

By the time they are finished, I look beautiful. Since my District's specialty is fishing, I'm mostly blue and sparkly. I have blue tattoos stencilled all over me and my whole body is covered in silver glitter. They stand back and admire their handiwork. "We've done pretty well, I think" says Stella. "Yes!" says Krakum. "Let's take her over to Vala!" I am led into yet another room where an odd creature is standing. It looks like a creature but I think it might actually be a person. She has skin that sparkles, blue lips, blue hair, blue skin, blue everything. My prep team leave and I am left alone with who I'm guessing is my stylist, Vala.

"Hello, Azora", she says in a ridiculously high voice. "I am your stylist. I will be dressing you for all the big events that will happen. The parade, the tribute interviews. Yes, there will be interviews. Why, I'm even going to be dressing you for the games themselves!" She babbles on about what an honour it is that I've been chosen but I'm not really listening.

Finally she quietens and lifts a bag from a nearby chair. "This", she says, "Contains your costume. Why don't you put it on for me?" She pulls a blue scaly looking thing out of it and helps me put it on. When I'm in it, I look at my reflection in the mirror. My outfit is kind of like a wetsuit. It's silvery-blue and looks like it's made out of real fish scales. I _look_ like a fish. "My dear, you look absolutely wonderful!" Vala says happily. "You're going to be knocking those sponsors off their feet! The parade will be starting very soon so let's get you out there!" She takes my arm and leads me out of the room then the building. We walk for a little while and then we reach another, larger building.

When we get inside I'm startled to see all the tributes there. None are conversing, everyone is just standing around looking a bit frightened. They are all with their chariots. Some of the costumes look good but no one looks as stunning as I do. Vala takes me over to what I presume is my chariot. Leroy, Tallulah and Winslor are already there. Leroy is dressed in an outfit similar to mine. The horses that draw our chariot are black and shiny with more blue glitter on them. "Oh my!" Tallulah exclaims. "Azora dear, you look beautiful!" "Thanks", I mutter. I board my chariot and so does Leroy. "Good luck out there", Winslor says. I hear a small bell-like sound and District 1's chariot leaves the building. I hear the faint noise of a cheering crowd and know that the city centre is right outside this building. Another bell and District 2 leaves. Then another and District 3 leaves. The bell rings again and my chariot starts moving.

As soon as we exit the building, I am overwhelmed by the deafening cheers I am hearing. Our costumes are so stunning that we make the crowd go absolutely wild. Even though I despise them, I need the sponsors so I decide to wave and put on a convincing smile. We stop outside the president's mansion to wait for the arrival of the other chariots. After they pull up, we are assembled in a kind of semi-circle. President Alcite is standing on his balcony, just as he did during the announcement of the Games.

"Welcome! Welcome!" he begins. "Tributes, we welcome you. We salute your courage and your bravery! Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" He sits down to the deafening roar of the audience.

_May the odds be ever in your favour._ The odds were certainly not in our favour.

**What do you think? Once again, I'm sorry it took me so long to put this up. Reviews would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading :)**


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